The ever-iconic Saturday Night Live has officially entered its landmark 50th season. Created by Lorne Michaels, the late-night sketch comedy show has been airing on NBC since 1975, with the inaugural episode hosted by stand-up legend George Carlin, which will soon be portrayed in Jason Reitman’s recently released dramedy Saturday Night. The series has received a whopping 84 Emmy wins, the most out of any other television show in history, and has been hailed by many as one of the greatest TV shows of all time. The series is headlined by a supremely talented ensemble of comic performers, a host (often there to promote a new project), a musical guest, and numerous cameos.
Saturday Night Live has helped skyrocket the careers of some of the biggest names in film and television, including John Belushi, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Chris Rock, Mike Myers, Chris Farley, David Spade, Adam Sandler, Norm Macdonald, Molly Shannon, Will Ferrell, Tracy Morgan, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Will Forte, Fred Armisen, Andy Samberg, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, Kate McKinnon, and Pete Davidson; and that’s just to name a few. The sketch show has even branched out of television and has turned some of its fan-favorite sketches into feature films, such as Wayne’s World, The Blues Brothers, Coneheads, MacGruber, and most recently Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain.
Will There Be a New Episode of ‘SNL’ Tonight?
Yes, there will be a new episode of SNL tonight. Since its inception, Saturday Night Live has always aired live from New York on NBC, and that’s probably not ever going to change. Season 50 Episode 3 will air on Saturday, October 12 at 11:30 pm EST, both on NBC and streaming on Peacock. The new episode will also be available to stream on Peacock afterward, along with every other season of the show.
Watch on Peacock
Who Is Hosting ‘SNL’ This Week?
Pop sensation Ariana Grande is set to host this week’s episode of Saturday Night Live. Grande has served as a musical guest before in Season 40 (Chris Pratt) and Season 49 (Josh Brolin), as well as going double-duty as the host and the musical guest in Season 41. However, tonight’s episode will mark the first time that Grande has hosted where she won’t be the musical guest.
Grande initially began her career as an actress, appearing in the Broadway musical 13 before being cast as Cat Valentine in the popular Nickelodeon sitcom Victorious, and the spin-off series, Sam & Cat. Although Grande’s career truly took off in the music industry, having won 2 Grammy Awards and received 13 additional nominations. Grande has released seven studio albums, including Yours Truly in 2013, My Everything in 2014, Dangerous Woman in 2016, Sweetener in 2018, Thank U, Next in 2019, Positions in 2020, and Eternal Sunshine in 2024.
While music seems to take priority for Grande, she has still acted from time to time, having most recently appeared in Adam McKay‘s Oscar-nominated satire Don’t Look Up in a supporting role. She will next be seen playing Glinda the Good Witch in Jon M. Chu‘s highly anticipated feature film adaptation of Wicked, which hits theaters in November.
So far, the Season 50 host lineup has included Hacks‘ Jean Smart and stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze.
Who Is the Musical Guest on This Week’s ‘SNL’?
Two-time Grammy winner and rock and roll icon Stevie Nicks is set to be the musical guest for tonight’s episode of Saturday Night Live, marking her second time on the show, having performed back on Season 9 (Flip Wilson). One of the most revered names in the history of rock music, Nicks has been performing since 1966 and soon became a household name during her tenure with the beloved band, Fleetwood Mac. Nicks has released eight albums as a solo artist, including Bella Donna in 1981, The Wild Heart in 1983, Rock a Little in 1985, The Other Side of the Mirror in 1989, Street Angel in 1994, Trouble in Shangri-La in 2001, In Your Dreams in 2011, and the recently released 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault.
So far, the Season 50 musical guest lineup has included Jelly Roll and Coldplay.
Who Is in the Current Cast of ‘SNL’?
As with any long-running television program, the cast of Saturday Night Live has radically changed through the years. Credited as “repertory players” for Season 50 are Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Heidi Gardner, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Michael Longfellow, Ego Nwodim, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, Devon Walker, Bowen Yang, and Weekend Update anchors Michael Che and Colin Jost. Featured players this season include newcomers Ashley Padilla, Emil Wakim, and Jane Wickline. Staff writers Martin Herlihy, Ben Marshall, and John Higgins, known as the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy, also appear in digital videos that appear in nearly every episode and often feature the host interacting with the three young comedians. Maya Rudolph will also be making appearances on the show as Kamala Harris alongside Andy Samberg as Doug Emhoff and Jim Gaffigan as Tim Walz in the episodes leading up to the 2024 Presidential Election.
Who Is Hosting the Next Episode of ‘SNL’?
The October 19 episode will see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice star Michael Keaton return to host the show for a fourth time, with musical guest star Billie Eilish.
The November 2 episode will have stand-up-comedian John Mulaney returning to host for a sixth time with Chappell Roan making her SNL debut as the musical guest star.
Saturday Night Live
A famous guest host stars in parodies and sketches created by the cast of this witty show.
- Release Date
- October 11, 1975
- Cast
- Leslie Jones , Aidy Bryant , Kyle Mooney , Alex Moffat , Kate McKinnon , Beck Bennett , Kenan Thompson , Colin Jost , Mikey Day , Cecily Strong , Michael Che , Pete Davidson , Melissa Villaseñor
- Seasons
- 48
- Franchise
- snl
- Story By
- Colin Jost
- Network
- NBC
- Directors
- Lorne Michaels
- Showrunner
- Lorne Michaels
